Cristiano Ronaldo Could Face US Extradition Over Rape Allegations

Lawyer Claims ‘Non-Disclosure’ Agreement Could Be Overturned

A Spanish lawyer believes that Cristiano Ronaldo could be extradited to the United States to face rape charges.

The Juventus forward is being accused of raping American citizen Kathryn Mayorga in a penthouse suite in Las Vegas in 2009. The Portugal international denies the allegation.

Documents were published over the weekend by German newspaper Der Spiegel giving details of an agreement Ronaldo came to with Ms Mayorga in 2010. The documents show the player’s signature.

Lawyers acting for Ms Mayorga are seeking to overturn the agreement which saw her paid €375,000 in return for refusing to discuss the matter.

However, Spanish criminal lawyer and university professor Emilio Cortes believes the US authorities may demand Ronaldo’s arrest on a European arrest warrant.

“It would be normal for the United States to request the extradition of Cristiano Ronaldo,” Cortes told Spanish radio network Cadena Cope.

“The rules in Europe and the US are different and the American legal authorities have the possibility to solicit the extradition of Ronaldo unless he is in Portugal. The solution that Ronaldo could have is to go to Portugal with an international arrest warrant, but he could be arrested by the North American authorities as soon as he sets foot outside the country.”

Cortes also highlighted the legal differences between the United States and European Union especially on the payment made in 2010 to buy Ms Mayorga’s silence.

“While here it would be accepted that Ronaldo has paid Kathryn to forget the incident, without this being considered illegal, the same could not happen in the United States.

“It would be fatal for Ronaldo to have paid for the silence as the documents state because this would represent the case against the player. It would be an explicit acknowledgement of having committed the crime.”